Italian Cheese

CULTURED CHEESE WON'T SET

This is most commonly caused by the temperature being too cool at the fermentation stage. If you have left your milk for cheesemaking to ferment for 12 hours and there is no sign of it firming up or changing in texture (usually soft cheeses), transfer the cheese to the oven and switch on the light. Check every 3 hours, and when the cheese reaches the desired consistency, drain and salt.

MILK DOES NOT COAGULATE

Your milk may be old or perhaps it is pasteurized beyond usefulness. Your rennet may also be unviable or old. Try changing milks and if the problem persists, buy new rennet.

MILK COAGULATES TOO FAST

The milk you are using may be too acidic. This can be caused by too much culture addition or an overly long ripening period. You can fix this by using less starter next time or try shortening the ripening time.